Benefits of Drinking Water

It’s no secret that water is our most important nutrient. Without enough of it, we experience headaches, back and neck pain, increased risk of kidney stones, energy loss and fatigue, and a slow-down in metabolism that leads to weight gain.

Believe it or not, Americans do drink about eight servings of hydrating beverages per day. However, 75% of people are still chronically dehydrated because caffeinated drinks, alcohol, and high-sodium diets increase our hydration needs beyond those eight servings.

To help you better understand how hydration improves your health, below are five benefits to incorporating more water into your daily diet.

Joint Health

There are multiple causes of joint pain, but a common one is ineffective synovial fluid. Synovial fluid reduces friction and provides resistance to impact. When this fluid is not healthy, joint pain occurs.

Chronic dehydration is a common cause of ineffective synovial fluid. Although in most cases simply drinking water does not cure joint pain, it helps treat the underlying issues by:

Providing aid to synovial fluid

Moving nutrients through the bloodstream and to the joints

Allowing waste products and toxins to move out of the joints

Lubricating joints and reducing inflammation

Remember, pain is a warning signal in the body. If you begin to experience joint pain, your body is telling you that something is abnormal. Visit a physician immediately, subtract sugary, caffeinated beverages and start drinking more water!

Muscle Health

Hydration is essential for your muscles, which are made up of nearly 79% water. In a person who is adequately hydrated, muscles pull water from the blood when being used. The water lubricates the tissue and surrounding cells, allowing it to function without strain or fatigue.

The complete opposite process occurs for someone who is dehydrated. To ensure proper circulation and a safe blood pressure are maintained, water is drawn out of the muscle and back into the bloodstream, leaving the muscle and its cells dry.

A dry muscle will not function optimally and will become easily fatigued, especially for athletes. Also, chronic dehydration can cause a breakdown of muscle resulting in damage to vital organs. To maintain properly functioning, non-fatigued, healthy muscles, start drinking more water!

Heart Health

Water is crucial when it comes to proper heart function. In fact, a study performed by the American Journal of Epidemiology found that participants who drank more than five glasses of water per day had a 40% decrease in their risk of fatal coronary disease.

Another side effect of dehydration is blood thickness (also known as blood viscosity). Thicker blood causes your heart to work harder, and studies from Harvard University have indicated that this increases the risk of a heart attack.

To alleviate strain on the heart and help reduce heart attack risks, start drinking more water!

Skin Health

Your skin is your largest organ, and just like any other organ, it requires ample amounts of water to function properly.

Proper hydration helps your skin in a number of ways:

Creates brighter, more glowing appearance

Makes it more resilient

Reduces wrinkles

Eliminates of toxins and impurities

Prevents breakouts by hydrating pores and releasing oils

Aids in the delivery of nutrients to your skin cells

Without adequate hydration, the skin will become tight, dull, and flaky, causing wrinkles to become more prominent.

If you want your skin to be healthier and more youthful in appearance, start drinking more water!

Appetite Control

Drinking a proper amount of water throughout the day helps control your appetite, leads to a healthier lifestyle, and can help you lose weight. Here’s how:

Drinking more water eliminates the confusion between hunger and thirst while making you feel fuller:Thirst and hunger are two sensations that operate through a very similar process in our bodies. Unfortunately, our brain often confuses the two making us feel hungry when we are actually thirsty. Staying well-hydrated can help eliminate this confusion.Drinking an 8-10-ounce glass of water before a meal or snack can help curb your appetite. If you are no longer craving food after 30 minutes, you successfully avoided unnecessary calories.

Colder is better:
Ice cold water not only tastes amazing but also causes your body to burn more calories from working to increase the water temperature to your body’s level. This alone is not the solution to losing weight, but it will help.

Drinking water helps the body release burned fat:
Once your body burns fat, it must be released through metabolic pathways. The byproducts of fat metabolism are expelled through your lungs, sweat, and urine. If you want your body to release these fatty byproducts from your body quicker, start drinking more water.

Drinking Water for the Body

The amount of water people need per day has long been a debate; however, the truth is the answers varies depending on physical activity, age, climate, diet, and how much water is consumed through other water-rich beverages and food.

A general rule of thumb for daily water intake is to drink half your weight in ounces. For example, if you are 150 pounds, you would need to drink at least 75 ounces of water a day (that is a little more than nine glasses).